What we're about

Welcome to Cinéma Cleveland!

There have been any number of movie groups on meetup.com and other social networking sites that attempt to offer something for everybody’s taste. Some value a multitude of events, as many as 3 or 4 per week. Others boast membership numbers of a thousand plus, even though only a handful actually attends events. We’ll leave those aspirations to them.

Cinéma Cleveland! instead focus on special noteworthy films sometimes not more than 2 or 3 a month. Don’t expect us to schedule the latest Hollywood blockbusters. We’ll be screening Art House, Independent and Foreign films. Our venues will include Cinémathèque, Cinemark Valley View, Cedar Lee, Shaker Square, the Capitol and the Museum of Art. We will, of course, include the annual Cleveland International Film Festival.

We will strive to be inclusive and normally not put artificial limits on attendance unless required by the restaurant. We know that most productive discussions are in groups of ten or less but we disdain unnecessary restrictions. We’ll do our best to post events well in advance so that members can adjust their social calendars and have adequate advance notice. And. almost always, we’ll pair the film with a dinner and/or discussion after at a noteworthy restaurant nearby.

A note about your RSVP and attendance: We treat your RSVP as a serious commitment to attend a movie and discussion. As such we frown on those who treat their RSVP casually. Those who are no-shows, especially without notice may be removed from the group. RSVP cancellations less than 24 hours before an event are considered as no-shows. Please be considerate of the organizer/host and the restaurants we patronize. In many cases the restaurants are actually small businesses and an empty seat at the table actually has an adverse impact on their planning and our reputation. We’ll do our best to patronize local independent restaurants when possible and practical.

We are Cinéphiles! Glad to have you on board!

Bill Johnson

Upcoming events (2)

A New Film by Ken Burns
COUNTRY MUSIC (2019)
The first episode of this eight-part,
16-hour series premieres On WNEO - PBS - Channel 45
Sunday, September 15 | 8 p.m.
The highly anticipated Country Music is finally here! Explore the history of a uniquely American art form: Country Music. From its deep and tangled roots in ballads, blues and hymns performed in small settings, to its worldwide popularity, learn how country music evolved over the course of the 20th century, as it eventually emerged to become America’s music. Country Music features never-before-seen footage and photographs, plus interviews with more than 80 country music artists.
Parts II-IV air September 16-18.
Parts V-VIII air September 22-25.
Who: Tonight: The Carter Family and Jimmie Rodgers.
What: The Rub (Beginnings -- 1933)
"Hillbilly music" reaches new listeners through phonographs and radio, launching the careers of country music's first big stars
When: Sunday, September 15th at 8 p.m.
Where: WNEO - Channel 45 - PBS
TICKETS: FREE on PBS
DINNER: Your favorite or mine which would be a rare beef steak or a bacon cheeseburger and a cold beer.
Time: Arrival around 6 p.m. for an early dinner before show.
PARKING: Driveway or street
Dues aren't required but a nice donation to Western Reserve Media would be appreciated: https://westernreservepublicmedia.org/donate.htm
Country Music (2019)
Director Ken Burns presents a comprehensive look at the history of country music in America and its evolution throughout the 20th century. From its early years in the 1920s, when it was termed "hillbilly music," to the rise of bluegrass and rockabilly, the series also looks at how Nashville, Tenn., became the epicenter of the country music industry. Highlighting the connection between country music artists and their fans, the series concludes in the mid-1990s when a young Garth Brooks helps bring country music to a whole new level.
About the Film
Tune in or Stream Sunday, September 15 at 8/7c
Explore the history of a uniquely American art form: country music. From its deep and tangled roots in ballads, blues and hymns performed in small settings, to its worldwide popularity, learn how country music evolved over the course of the 20th century, as it eventually emerged to become America’s music. Country Music features never-before-seen footage and photographs, plus interviews with more than 80 country music artists. The eight-part 16-hour series is directed and produced by Ken Burns; written and produced by Dayton Duncan; and produced by Julie Dunfey.
Country Music explores questions –– such as “What is country music?” and “Where did it come from?“–– while focusing on the biographies of the fascinating characters who created and shaped it — from the Carter Family, Jimmie Rodgers and Bob Wills to Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, Loretta Lynn, Charley Pride, Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris, Garth Brooks and many more — as well as the times in which they lived. Much like the music itself, the film tells unforgettable stories of hardships and joys shared by everyday people.
No one has told the story this way before.
Detailed info on upcoming episodes: https://www.pbs.org/kenburns/country-music/episode-guide#all-episodes
DUES: We can now accept the annual $10 dues payment via PayPal: send to [masked] as "FRIENDS & FAMILY" (fee free) otherwise please add a 61-cent service charge. Alternatively, you may pay the organizer by MAIL with cash, check or credit card (with 52 cent fee) by mail/phone. Dues payment WILL NOT be accepted at this event.
Music Cleveland! – We are: Live Music, Music, Classical Music, Jazz, Blues, Live Jazz, Music, Smooth Jazz, Country Western Music, Irish Music, Opera, Bluegrass, Folk Music, Theater & Performance Art, Baroque Music, Dance, Dining Out, Celtic Music, Social Networking, NightLife, and Rock and Roll!

This is an epic, landmark film that has set the tone for Science-Fiction books and films for nearly 100 years. And the class struggle and commentary has set the bar for political and social discussion into two centuries.
WHAT: Fritz Lang's classic METROPOLIS (1927/2010) accompanied by Boston's Alloy Orchestra
TRAILER: https://youtu.be/prQFGmPKRgI
WHEN: Wednesday, October 30th at 7 p.m.
WHERE: The Cinémathèque - Cleveland Institute of Art
TICKETS: $20 Regular; Special for Members, CIA & CSU students $15. On-line purchase recommended: https://ticketing.us.veezi.com/purchase/1917?siteToken=pB7yl95%2FqEOan41YnZNP9A%3D%3D
PARKING: CIA's campus has three lots. Two of them (Lot 73 and the annex lot) are available to Cinematheque patrons, and both are accessed from E. 117th Street, south of Euclid.
Cinémathèque patrons should try to park in Lot 73, located in the rear of the complex. It’s the closest lot to CIA building entrance C. If Lot 73, is full, park in the annex lot on the east side of 117th. Those who park in the annex lot should also use Entrance C (off Lot 73) to enter the building. Parking is free and monitored by security.
DINNER/DRINKS/DISCUSSION: After the movie - depending on group wishes, we’ll walk to a nearby watering hole for a little social time. You may leave your car in the CIA lot.
METROPOLIS, Germany, 1927, Fritz Lang
Roger Ebert called Boston’s Alloy Orchestra “the best in the world at accompanying silent films.” Tonight this internationally known trio of musicians—Terry Donahue, Roger Miller, Ken Winokur—perform their signature score, lending their distinctive mix of clarinet, accordion, electronics, and junk metal percussion to Fritz Lang’s visionary sci-fi spectacle.
Alloy web site: http://www.alloyorchestra.com
It’s been six years since the Alloy performed in Cleveland, and tonight marks the orchestra’s first appearance in our new Peter B. Lewis Theater. We will screen the 2010 restoration of Lang’s futuristic epic, which is 25 minutes and 25-percent longer than the previous “complete” version of the film.
THE FILM
Set in a gleaming futuristic city where the wealthy lead above ground lives of luxury while worker drones toil on massive machines underground, METROPOLIS chronicles a robot-led revolt that threatens both classes of humans.
Thrilling, visually staggering, and prophetic, METROPOLIS is made even more memorable by the Alloy Orchestra’s electrifying score!
English inter-titles. DCP. 150 min. Special admission $20; members, CIA & CSU I.D. holders, and those age 25 & under $15; no passes, twofers, or radio winners.
Cinéma Cleveland! - The nominal $5 annual membership fee goes toward the meetup.com charges and other related administrative expenses.
You may pay the organizer tonight or pay by credit card on PayPal by sending the fee to [masked] as FRIENDS & FAMILY (to avoid service charges). It may be difficult to find the FRIENDS option but it is there and you will avoid an obscene 62-cent fee. Paid members of Music Cleveland! receive a fee waiver in this group.
Cinéma Cleveland! is Theater & Performance Art · Art · Classic Films · Italian Film · German Film · Historic Cinema and Films · British Film · British Movies · Film Festivals · Foreign Films · Movies/Dinner · Independent Film · Arts and Entertainment · Books and Movie Discussions